COUNTDOWN: Top Ten Switch Games I Played in 2023 #1 Pikmin 4
Well here we are finally arriving at my number one slot on this list right as 2023 draws to a close and yes it’s true: In a year that saw Nintendo release a long awaited sequel, one knockout of a remaster and an all new return to form across their holy trinity of IP (Zelda, Metroid and Mario of course), what can I say?
It didn’t get any better than Pikmin 4.
I won’t rehash a whole lot here about the original Pikmin because that game was rereleased with a nice bump in resolution and made this top ten list so you can check out that post. But the short version is that it’s one of the freshest and most original concepts in Nintendo’s history, spawning a second game that was also released in the very same generation on Gamecube. Then after that and outside of rereleases for the Nintendo Wii featuring motion control, it became a bit of a mantra amongst many Nintendo fans demanding a third entry. Pikmin 3 arrived on the Wii U in 2013 nearly 10 years after the previous installment. And when it finally hit physical and digital store shelves, it delivered on every possible level fans had been dying to see. The formula was now perfected, Pikmin had hit its peak, man.
Until another 10 years passed and it was made clear that the franchise was just getting started.
Simply put, Pikmin 4 like Breath of the Wild is in my opinion as great as Nintendo gets, firing on all creative cylinders. From top to bottom, there is such an effortlessness to the experience, a simplistic depth full of whimsy, beauty, charm and fun. The graphics, the music, the play control, the feeling of losing yourself in wonder, it’s all here in spades. It takes concepts laid down by the original trilogy and brilliantly expands upon them in ways that may not have been obvious but are now unforgettable (Oatchi is my ride or die). The series has completely refreshed itself in every way making whatever may come next something to truly look forward to. It is in my opinion not only one of the very best software releases of the year but of all time.
Owning a Nintendo Switch and not this game would be like owning this game and not a Nintendo Switch.
